She Thought She'd Forgotten
by kirstencohen
Summary: Kirsten sifts through some old boxes in the attic and some old memories come to mind. COMPLETE.
1. Prologue

**This is just the prologue so it'll get better. Please review.**

Kirsten dragged herself and the mountain of paperwork she was carrying through the front door. She's had a tough day at work. Her father hadn't been at work all day and she had to carry his workload as well as her own. She was looking forward to kicking off her boots and sitting down with a cup of coffee. Kirsten dumped her bag on the kitchen table, "SETH? RYAN?" she yelled loudly hoping for an answer. The boys hadn't told her if they were going out after school. Sandy was at work so she called out again, "BOYS? IS ANYBODY HOME?" There was no answer. She scanned the kitchen for a note before realising that they would probably be in the pool house. She clomped out and toward the pool house and pushed open the door. She found Seth lying on the bed flipping through one of his many comic books. "Where's Ryan?" Seth didn't answer her, "Seth?" He continued to read his comic book. "SETH!" she yelled. Seth jumped and scrambled onto the floor. He was tugging at the earphones he had in. "What? What is it?"

"Where's Ryan?"

"He's in the bathroom." Seth said confused, "Why?"

"I arrived home to an empty house and just wanted to know where my son's were. Is that such a crime?"

"No. Is traumatising your first born a crime...? Yeah I'm gonna have to look into that." Kirsten sat on the edge of the bed and took off her shoes, "Uh mom are you planning on staying? Cause Ryan was gonna help me clean out my room."

"I'm not staying my shoes are hurting me so I'm taking them off. Why've you taken such a sudden interest in cleaning your room?"

"Not cleaning mom. Cleaning OUT. Summer says I hold on to too much crap and I have to get rid of it or she won't be coming back into my room. So I say it's a choice between Summer or the three year old sandwich I have under my bed."

"Mmm tough decision."

"Yeah well I did grow pretty attached to the sandwich and I gotta admit it'll be hard to let go but I'm gonna have to go with the girlfriend."

"Ahh good choice. Cleaning out huh? That's a pretty good idea. We've never cleaned out the attic once since we moved here."

"Yeah mom, have fun."

Kirsten padded back into the main house and began to make a cup of coffee. As she sat down at the kitchen table the phone rang. It was Sandy calling to tell her he would be home late again. He was working with Rachel. She tried to push her paranoia about them out of her mind but she couldn't. Just then Seth and Ryan came into the kitchen, "Hey mommy." Seth said in a mock baby voice.

"Hey Kirsten," Ryan greeted in his usual tone.

"Hey. You two getting ready for a clean out?"

"Yeah Seth's making me. But I made sure that he has no illusions of me brandishing a feather duster." Ryan laughed in spite of himself before following Seth upstairs. When Kirsten finished her coffee she collected her things. She took them upstairs to her room before pulling on a pair of sweats and one of Sandy's old Berkeley shirts. She tied her hair back and went into the hall. She tugged on the cord and the attic door flipped down into a set of stairs. She climbed them carefully and switched on the light.

She looked around to find a mountain of boxes in one corner and loads of Chrismukkah decorations in another. Seth's cradle and his crib were propped up against the boxes and there was a few bags filled with clothes dotted all over the room. As her eyes adjusted more to the light she noticed in one of the corners there was a pile of boxes labelled Kelly and next to them was a smaller heap labelled Caleb. She crouched down and peered into the boxes and found nothing but a mass of old clothes. She decided to start with the Chrismukkah decorations.


	2. Tradition

**Okay hope you like!**

Chapter 2

Kirsten crawled over to the heap of Chrismukkah decorations. She pulled out four stockings. The first one had a Star of David; Sandy's, next had candy canes; Seth's, the next had three bells; hers. When Kirsten came to Ryan's stocking with three white stars she stopped. She could remember when Seth had given it to him. He didn't seem to acknowledge it. He acted as though he didn't care but when he hung it on the mantelpiece alongside everyone else's she saw his face light up. She didn't think anything could top that until Chrismukkah day arrived.

It was Christmas Eve and Kirsten and Sandy were in their room lying on the bed sipping eggnog. Kirsten snuggled into her husband and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Ryan and Seth both lay on the end of the bed. A bowl of popcorn sat between them. A Muppets Christmas Carol was playing on the wide screen TV. Ryan turned to Seth, "Hey man why are we watching this in your parents room."

"I've been doing it since I was three years old. We always watch a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve before we go to sleep. It's a Cohen tradition." Seth turned back to the movie. Ryan turned around to see Kirsten beginning her third glass and Sandy dropping a kiss in his wife's forehead. Ryan turned back.

Kirsten set her empty glass on the bedside table and reached for the remote control. She checked the clock: 10.30, before switching off the TV and ejecting the DVD. Sandy collected the used bowls and glasses, "Okay kids. Bedtime." Ryan frowned and checked his watch, "Really?"

"Yeah. How'd you expect Santa to leave you presents if you're awake?" Sandy said enthusiastically. Seth sighed and pushed himself off the bed. "Okay Ryan just replace the word "Santa" with the word "us" and you'll get it." Ryan laughed and began to follow Seth out of the room. "Night guys. Just wake me up when you're ready okay." Ryan said. Seth turned on his heel, "Uh no Ryan not gonna work. You see you have to be IN the house for the Christmas day routine to go ahead and you in the pool house is just uh no not gonna work. You'll sleep in a guest room tonight. Or you know you could bunk up with me." Ryan shot Seth a look, "Uh okay I'll help you set up the guest room."

"Why do I have to be IN the house Seth?" Ryan asked perplexed but Seth replied only by putting his finger to his lips, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Ryan rolled his eyes. "See you two in the morning." Sandy called from the other side of the room. Both boys yelled goodnight over their shoulders and made their way to their bedrooms. Or in Ryan's case the guest bedroom. Seth suggested he sleep in the bedroom next to his. When Ryan went into the room he found that it was ready for him. The bed sheets were fresh and a glass of milk and four chocolate chip cookies were on his bed stand. Seth was grinning madly behind him, "It's a tradition man." Ryan smirked and sat on his bed. He ate the cookies and drank the milk. He pulled off his sweatpants and climbed into bed. He was falling asleep before his head touched the pillow.

Ryan hadn't opened his eyes yet. He'd had a really good sleep. The bed in the guestroom must be better than in the pool house. He wanted to check his watch but that would mean he'd have to wake up. He felt his bed dip to the side slightly. He opened his eyes to find Kirsten on the edge of his bed, "Hey honey. It's still early but I just wanted to say Merry Christmas."

"Huh?"

"Well we finally finished with the presents downstairs and I always come up after and see Seth. So here I am."

"Huh?" Ryan didn't understand why she was visiting him at; he looked down at his watch, three in the morning. Kirsten laughed softly and brushed Ryan's hair from his eyes. "Go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you." She leaned down and dropped a kiss onto his forehead, "Merry Christmas Ryan."

"Merry Christmas Kirsten." Ryan smiled. Kirsten got off the bed and silently closed the door. He could hear her padding down the hall toward Seth's bedroom.

Ryan sat up in bed and checked his watch. It was almost nine. He wondered whether Kirsten had actually come into his room last night or whether he just dreamt it. He didn't have time to ponder on that before he heard a familiar song being blasted all over the house.

"_You better watch out_

_You better not cry_

_Better not pout_

_I'm telling you why_

_Santa Claus is coming to town..."_

Ryan got out if bed and pulled on his sweats. And yanked the door open. He found Seth in the hallway wearing a Santa hat singing and dancing along to the music.

"_He's making a list,_

_And checking it twice;_

_Gonna find out who's naughty and nice._

_Santa Claus is coming to town..."_

"What's going on?" Ryan yelled over the music. Seth noticed Ryan standing in his doorway looking puzzled. Seth danced toward him and grabbed his elbow, "Come on. Presents!"

"_He sees you when you're sleeping_

_He knows when you're awake_

_He knows if you've been bad or good_

_So be good for goodness sake!"_

Ryan managed to make downstairs without falling despite Seth tugging at his arm. He dragged him into the living room where they found Sandy twirling his wife on the spot. They were both singing along to the music.

"_O! You better watch out!_

_You better not cry._

_Better not pout, I'm telling you why._

_Santa Claus is coming to town._

_Santa Claus is coming to town."_

"Hey!" Sandy said, "You're up! Did we wake you? I'm sorry." Kirsten was laughing. She wrapped her arms around both of her boys at the same time. Sandy came up and enveloped his family in a bear hug. "Merry Chrismukkah everybody." Sandy yelled laughing. Just as he said that the song changed to Bing Crosby's White Christmas, "Ugh depressing!" Seth said and motioned to switch the song but Kirsten grabbed his elbow, "No! I like this song. Anyway it's just background music. Now hurry up and start opening!" Ryan looked around to find the entire floor was covered in gifts, "How many people did you buy for?"

"Oh uh there's a few that aren't for you two. Uh one's for my Dad and there are a few for the newpsie's. And one for Jimmy." Kirsten said while scanning the floor, "Just check the tags." Seth dove into the middle of the room and picked up a small box. He checked the tag, "Oh uh Ryan this is yours." He said handing him the box. Ryan took it. He looked at Sandy and Kirsten who were both grinning wildly. "Open it!" Sandy urged. Ryan opened the wrapping paper carefully. Inside was a long cardboard box. He took off the lid and found a new bike chain. He frowned. He already had a bike chain that worked fine. But he was pleased nonetheless, "Guys thanks. That's really great. But you didn't have to get me anything really." Kirsten smiled slyly. "Ryan that's not your actual present. It was too big to wrap so we set it up in the kitchen. That was just a little clue." Ryan turned to Seth who had refrained from opening any gifts. He wanted to see Ryan's face when he got his big present. Kirsten pushed Ryan toward the kitchen where waiting for him was a brand new bike. Ryan had been admiring it a while back when he was out shopping for clothes with Kirsten. It was a silver BMX and he knew how expensive it was. Ryan stood transfixed, "Hey I... I can't take this. It's too much."

"Of course you can. The bike you've got is falling apart and we already told Seth that we aren't buying you a car so... we compromised." Kirsten explained still, grinning. Ryan didn't know what to do. He turned to Kirsten, "Thanks," he said smiling. He leaned in for a hug and wrapped his arms around her. He did the same with Sandy. "Your welcome." They all went back into the living room and Sandy handed him another box. "There's more?" Seth laughed. "Ryan there's like twenty boxes here with your name on them now hurry up."

After the boys had finished unwrapping they sat and admired their loot. Ryan got lots of new clothes and a few video games. He also got a year subscription to Legion. He'd actually grown to like comic books. Seth had gotten much the same but his big present was a record player. He had wanted something that he could play vinyl's on for ages. They were both thrilled and Ryan was speechless. He definitely didn't expect so much. Kirsten and Sandy were on the couch, "Okay our turn." Sandy said excitedly, "And I think I'm gonna start with that rather large surf board shaped one from your mother." Sandy ripped the wrapping paper off of the gift and exclaimed, "Honey! You shouldn't have!" Ryan stood up and handed a long rectangle shaped gift to Kirsten, "Marissa helped me pick it out. If you don't like it... well you know I kept the receipt."

"Ryan I thought we said no gifts for us."

"Yeah well. Sorry." Kirsten smiled and unwrapped her gift just as carefully as Ryan had. She took the lid off of the box and found a silver bracelet inside. "It's not silver." Ryan said quietly, "It's uh white gold." Kirsten stared down speechless, "Ryan I love it! Thank you so much." She stood up and embraced him. She kissed him on the cheek before trying it on, "It's gorgeous."

"Okay Dad your turn." Seth yelled from the other said of the room. He was carrying a large heavy box with some difficulty; Ryan helped him over to his father. "Now Dad Ryan and I clubbed our money together so this is a joint effort okay? And also Mom helped out a little too since... well we were a little short." Sandy bent down and ripped the wrapping paper off to expose and plain brown cardboard box. He frowned confused and opened the box to find a brand new set of golf clubs, "We put it in a big box so you wouldn't know what it was." Seth said.

"Oh no! No way! That's way too much for you guys."

"Hey man it's cool. We wanted to. Right Seth?"

"Yeah totally. Enjoy."

Kirsten stood up and wrapped her arms around her Husband's waist, "Did you boys check your stockings yet?" Ryan and Seth both exchanged glances before tearing toward the mantelpiece. They both plunged their hands inside and pulled out black leather watches, "Wow Armani. Very classy. Good call." Seth said in an excited voice. He could barely contain himself. Ryan looked down and found that his was a Versace. He was again rendered speechless. He slid the watch into his wrist and sat down. "Thanks," was all he could muster.

Later that night after Christmas dinner Sandy led his wife up to their room. "I have one more gift for you but I couldn't in front of the kids." Kirsten closed her eyes not wanting to imagine what he had thought up. He sat her on the bed and handed her a flat rectangle gold box wrapped in a red ribbon. She untied the ribbon and took the lid off of the box to find lingerie inside. "Sandy!" she laughed.

"Well you said that I never bought you any so there it is. You can get off my back about it now." Kirsten continued to laugh and only stopped when her husband leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek.

* * *

Kirsten threw the last of the old decorations out of the attic. Now the top right corner of the room was in order. She looked around to see where she would go next.

**I know Kirsten mentioned the lingerie in The Heartbreak, which was after the Christmas episode, but hey does it really matter? Didn't think so.**

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	3. Who do you wanna be?

**Okay hope you like**

Kirsten heaved the box over to the middle of the floor. She noticed that it had been taped up. She couldn't get it open so she went downstairs for a knife or pair of scissors. She decided to stop by and check on the boys first. She was at the far end of the hall and she could hear a lot of yelling coming from Seth's room. She broke into a jog and burst into Seth's room where Seth and Ryan were tugging at either end of a comic book. "What the hell is going on?" She demanded.

"He's stealing my comic books!" Seth yelled outraged.

"Seth! You have two copies of this issue! You have to start letting go of stuff." Ryan yelled back still pulling on the comic book. Kirsten took it from both of them, "I asked you what's going on." She turned to Ryan. "We've been cleaning this room out for well over an hour right?" Kirsten frowned but nodded wanting to see where this was going, "Well he refuses to throw anything out! He has two copies of this issue and he still insists on holding on to it."

"Seth why do you wanna keep this?" Kirsten asked waving the comic book in front of his face. "Because, mom, they're like... my babies and I just can't abandon them. It's just not right."

"Well I think that after I'm done in the attic I'll be down here to check you really have cleaned this room out." Kirsten walked away with the comic book in her hands ignoring Seth's protests coming from the room behind her. When she got to the kitchen she threw it in the trash. She went to the drawer and took out a large knife. She ran the knife through the tape and peered inside. She pulled out two jackets. One was white and had wide lapels and the other was a black leather jacket with T-Birds written on the back in silver studs. Kirsten couldn't help laughing as she tried on the jacket.

* * *

"What are you dragging me to now?" Sandy and Kirsten were stood in the kitchen on a Monday morning sipping coffee before work. Kirsten smiled over her cup. "Halloween fancy dress." Sandy raised his massive eyebrows and opened his mouth as if to say something but just then Ryan and Seth entered the kitchen. "Hey mom. Is it okay if I invite Summer to this fancy dress thing?"

"Of course." She replied. Sandy frowned, "It's not exactly glamorous is it?"

"So?" Kirsten responded.

"So... well it's not what I'd expect around here."

"Hey Dad it'll be fun. We've been to five black tie events in the last three months. I think we need some colour around here," Seth said while munching on dry cereal. Kirsten absentmindedly placed a bowl and spoon in front of each of the boys and put the milk between them. Ryan looked up tilted his head, "What am I gonna go as?"

"Well the theme is famous couples through the ages so... well actually Sandy what are we gonna go as?" Kirsten asked. Seth turned to Ryan, "Hey man we should totally go as The Blues Brothers!" Ryan glowered. Sandy chuckled and sipped his coffee. Seth continued, "No? Uh what about... Batman and Robin?"

"No tights Seth," Ryan said simply.

"Starsky and Hutch?" Seth said desperately. Kirsten gasped, "Oh my God you two would be so cute as Starsky and Hutch! And you'd look like them too."

"Hey you would look like them." Sandy said enjoying this. Seth sighed, "You know Ryan since you've had experience in this area we COULD go as Charlie Brown and Snoopy... I mean if you really wanted to."

"Seth. Don't you think that we'll be going as a couple with our girlfriends?" Ryan asked. Seth stared open mouthed, "I actually forgot about Summer. Oh God don't tell her... I'm gonna go call her." Seth got up and went into the living room. Ryan looked up at Kirsten and Sandy, "What about you guys?" Sandy turned to his wife who was staring back at him, "Uh... I don't know. Who is there?"

"Honey I don't think this is our thing." Sandy said making his way out of the kitchen.

"NO! You are NOT gonna ruin this for me. No way. I'm looking forward to this and we are going. I'll decide who we're going as." Kirsten said determinedly. Sandy kissed her on the cheek, "No tights honey. I'm going to work."

Summer pushed open the door of the costume store and pulled Seth in behind her, "Cohen! Move. If we don't find a costume soon we'll have to go as Adam and Eve."

"Hey that's a good idea I... ow! Sorry." Summer made her way over to the desk where a young girl with pink hair and an eyebrow stud was tapping her fingers on the desk. She looked up, "You here for the Newport Halloween thing?" she asked while chewing gum. Summer held back an Eww and nodded politely. The girl turned to a rack behind her, "The double act costumes are on there but there's not much choice left. You left it a little late." Summer thanked her and made her way over to the rack. She turned to see check Seth was behind her and she found him in the other corner of the shop trying on a Darth Vader helmet, "COHEN!" Seth jumped and ran to her side, "Well I see there's a lovely collection here." Summer looked through the costumes, "Okay what would we be good as... Beauty and the Beast?"

"Wow Summer that's so funny. You know we could do the whole Wonder Woman thing again."

"Oh yeah and who are you gonna be? It's a couple's thing. Don't be stupid Cohen. Hey what about this?" Summer said while holding up a Peter Pan and Tinkerbell ensemble. "NO tights Summer." Summer pouted and placed the costumes back on the rail. "Hey what about this?" Seth said holding up a white suit jacket with wide lapels and a multi coloured dress. "Who's that supposed to be?"

"Donny and Marie." Seth said rolling his eyes.

"Osmond?" Summer asked stupidly.

"No Carpenter." Summer squinted and tilted her head. Seth wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Yes Summer, Osmond. Now what do you think?"

Kirsten made sure the bow in her hair was sitting properly and she made her way downstairs. She found Ryan and Seth in the kitchen both dressed up. "Wow you guys look cute." She smiled at her boys. Seth was checking his reflection in a fork and Ryan kept shooting awkward glances at his reflection in the window. Kirsten cleared her throat loudly and twirled on the spot, "You look good Kirsten," Ryan said smiling. "So where's Sandy?"

"But I thought I was Sandy," Kirsten said with a grin. Ryan sighed, "Okay where's... Danny?" Kirsten laughed, "He's still applying hair gel... or should I say grease...?" Kirsten laughed again but stopped and said, "Sorry bad joke." Ryan sighed, "So is your Dad and Julie going to this thing?"

"Yeah they're going as Anthony and Cleopatra." Kirsten said in a low voice. Ryan frowned and was about to say something but just then the doorbell rang and Ryan jumped up to answer it. He pulled the door open to find Summer dressed in a psychedelic dress and Marissa in a green dress. Marissa leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. When she pulled back she yelled out, "Romeo, Romeo Where for art thou Romeo?"

"Haha. Very funny." He ushered both girls in and led them to the kitchen where Sandy and Kirsten were admiring each other's costumes. Summer stared open mouthed at Sandy, "Wow Mr Cohen you are a great Danny Zuko."

"Thanks Summer you guys look great." Sandy turned to Marissa and Ryan, "Romeo and Juliet?" Both Marissa and Ryan nodded and made their way out to the car.

When they arrived at the party Frankenstein took their coats and led them into a large hall decorated with rubber bats and cobwebs. Ryan turned to Marissa, "Wow this almost looks like a normal party."

"Yeah no black ties at this one huh?" Marissa said before Laurel and Hardy sauntered by, "Wow spoke to soon." She laughed.

* * *

Kirsten decided to hold onto their costumes. She taped the box back up and hid it away next to the newly organised Chrismukkah decorations. She could still hear Ryan and Seth arguing over what to throw out. She got up and dusted herself off. She made her way down the stairs to investigate.

When she returned she saw that she was making good progress. One corner of the room was in order. She walked over to the boxes labelled Kelly and Caleb and peered inside.

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	4. Happy Families

Chapter 4 

Inside she found a mass of musty old clothes. She sorted through them all until she came to a hard, heavy box at the bottom. She pulled it out carefully realising that it was her mother's jewellery box. She opened it carefully and inside she found a number of necklaces and lots of different sets of earrings. She searched through the trinkets until she found what she thought she'd lost a long time ago.

Kirsten wrapped their plates and cups in bubble wrap before piling them into a large cardboard box. Seth was perched happily on his father's knee in the living room. She stopped and watched her husband tickle and sing to their son. "Humpty dumpty sat on the wall… humpty dumpty had a great… FALL!" Sandy swung Seth around the room as he giggled and squealed. Kirsten turned back to her packing. Just then a squealing Seth came running into the kitchen, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Hide me! Hide me!" Seth ran behind Kirsten's legs in effort to hide from his father who was slowly making his way around their small apartment. "Where's Seth? Is he in the bathroom?" Sandy ran over to the bathroom and looked in, "No. Maybe he's in the kitchen." Sandy started to make his way into the kitchen and Kirsten straightened up trying to disguise her son. Sandy walked through the doorway and loudly exclaimed, "Let's see if Seth's in the kitchen." He looked over to his wife, "Does mommy know where little Sethula is?" Kirsten suppressed a smile and shook her head vigorously. Just then Sandy made a dive for Seth but Kirsten was too quick. She had already spun around and grabbed Seth under the arms. She picked him up and ran with him into the living room, "No you can't take him! He's mine!" she yelled while running through the house. Seth was laughing at the top of his voice and Sandy came thundering into the living room. "I'm gonna get you," He threatened but Kirsten kept running until she came to their bedroom. She quickly piled Seth under their duvet and sat in the edge of the bed trying to look nonchalant. When Sandy came into the bedroom he dove onto his wife. Kirsten shrieked loudly as Sandy attempted to tickle her, "Give it up! Where is he?" Kirsten managed to yell, "I'll never tell!" Just then Seth, thinking he was missing out on all the fun, emerged from under the duvet, "Here I am Daddy!" Sandy grabbed his son, "Hey I found you." He said out of breath. They all lay on the bed and closed their eyes. Seth was the first to speak, "I'm gonna miss this house mommy."

"Yeah honey me too. But your grandma needs help. That's why we have to leave. Are you gonna help grandma?" Kirsten asked as Seth snuggled in between both his parents. "I'll help grandma." He replied while trying to suppress a yawn.

Sandy set the last of the boxes down in their new bedroom. Caleb was waiting in the doorway. "Sanford." Sandy spun around, "Cal! Always good to see you." Caleb came into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, "Look Sandy I really appreciate what you're doing for Kirsten… and Kelly for that matter. Thank you." He held out his hand and Sandy took it before stuttering, "Yeah well I wanna help. Let her spend as much time with her family as possible. But remember Cal, this isn't permanent. We're not staying in this… castle you call a home forever."

Kirsten carried the tray carefully as she slowly made her way up the stairs. Seth was by her side patiently waiting until they came to his gran's room. Kirsten looked down at Seth. His face was chalk white, "Seth honey I know I told you that she's sick but just remember she's the same grandma you always had."

"I know mommy but…"

"But what…?"

"But. If she's sick… I might hurt her."

"Honey of course you won't. Just treat her the same as usual okay?" Seth only nodded as he pushed open the room door. He found a small, frail looking woman sitting up in bed putting together a jigsaw. "Hey grandma."

"Seth. Hello darling. How are you?"

"I'm good grandma."

"And Captain Oats? Thank you Kirsten." Kelly replied as her daughter set the tray on her bedside table. Seth held his plastic horse up in front of his grandmother's face. "Captain Oats is great. We went exploring in the sandbox the other day."

"Oh that sounds like fun. What did you find?"

Seth and his grandmother spoke for a long time before he offered to help her with her jigsaw. Kirsten went back downstairs enjoying the peace.

Three months had passed and Kirsten was tired out. She hadn't slept in three days and Seth was becoming bored without all of his Berkeley friends. No one in Newport had seemed to accept him yet. Sandy was working at the PD's office and Caleb was always at the office. Kirsten stared out of the window as Seth played with Captain Oats on the floor. She heard her mother coughing and she spun around. She was reaching for the basin but it was too far away. Kirsten ran to her side with the basin in her hand. She rubbed her mother's back trying to soothe her but when she sat back up Kirsten saw the exhaustion etched on her mother's face. "Thank you Kirsten." She croaked. Kirsten set the basin on the floor and wiped her mother's hair from her face. "You're welcome." Kirsten got up to empty the basin but he mother grabbed her hand, "Honey. I know my time's almost up and…"

"Mom please don't."

"But darling I have to. I just wanted you to know that you have been a wonderful daughter. I love you and your sister very much and my life has been so fantastic with you two in it. You gave me my first grandson, I wouldn't mind another by the way, and now you're here taking care of your old invalid mother," Kelly smiled and wiped away the tears that streamed down her daughter's face. Kirsten leaned in and embraced her mother holding on as long as she could. "Mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"Are you scared?" There was a pause before she replied, "Yes."

"I don't want you to leave me… I mean… what are we all gonna do without you? Dad'll climb the walls and us… well Seth needs his grandma. I need my mom."

"Oh darling. You'll always have me. Forever. You may not see my body but my spirit will live on in every one of you. Just promise you'll never forget me?"

"I promise. I could never." Kirsten whispered through soft sobs. She looked up at her mother and saw the fear set deep in her eyes, "Nobody loves you like I do."

"I know honey. I know." Kelly slipped her wedding ring off of her finger and placed it in her daughter's palm. "This is yours." Kirsten shook her head and slid it back onto her mother's finger, "No. You keep this."

"When I go I want you to have it. Okay?" Kirsten nodded and placed her hand on her mother's.

Kirsten woke up feeling refreshed. Yesterday was the first good day in four months. Her mother had been laughing and joking with her family. She didn't throw up and she said she felt perfectly normal. She looked over at her husband who was being woken by their son, "Daddy, get up. Come on it's almost nine thirty. Don't be a lazy bones." Kirsten laughed and joined Seth in trying to wake Sandy. She shoved his shoulder, "Yeah lazy bones get up." Sandy grunted and pulled the duvet over his head. Seth stood on the spot defeated but Sandy reached out of the covers and pulled his son under with him, "Let's tickle mommy." Sandy whispered. Seth nodded and they both grabbed Kirsten and began to tickle her. She screamed out loud and Seth instantly stopped. He grabbed his father, "Stop Daddy you're hurting her!" Sandy turned to his son and Kirsten sat up, "No he wasn't I was just laughing silly… hey why don't you go check on grandma?" Seth jumped off the bed and ran down the hall. Sandy turned back to his wife, "Good morning." He leaned down and kissed his wife gently on the lips, "Good morning." She replied. They were startled by a loud yell coming from own the hall, "DADDY! MOMMY! SHE WON'T WAKE UP!" Kirsten leapt from the bed and tore down the hall. Sandy was faster. He grabbed Seth and led him to his room. He told him not to leave until he came back to get him. Kirsten ran to her mother's side. She just looked like she was sleeping but when Kirsten held her hand she was cold to the touch. "Mom? Mom please, wake up." Kirsten sobbed, "Please mom. No don't please." Kirsten placed her head onto her mother's cold hand and wept. Sandy came up behind her and kneeled next to her. Kirsten spun around and wrapped her arms around her husband. "She's gone Sandy. She's gone." Sandy stayed silent. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he comforted his wife.

Kirsten studied the gold band in her palm. She slid it onto her finger in place of her own wedding ring. It fitted perfectly. She took it off and put it in her pocket. Just then she heard voices coming from the bottom of the stairs. She saw a head of sandy hair pop up through the opening. "Hey we thought we'd come help."

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	5. Frost

**Okay every time I put a character of my own into my fics I always name them after the actor who plays the person closest to them. Such as Kirsten's mom is called Kelly in this fic. I named Sandy's brother Peter in this chapter but just for you Lula I've changed the name to a more Jewish one. Hope you like**

Chapter 5

Kirsten helped Ryan and Seth up through the hatch, "Thanks but you know... I'm almost done and you don't wanna spend your Friday night stuck in a stuffy old attic."

"Mother! Such nonsense we would love nothing more than sifting through years of Cohen memories." Seth said while sorting through the Chrismukkah decorations. "Seth! No I just tidied them!" Seth jumped at his mother's yell and dropped the box of tree lights in his hands. "Okay I'll just go stand over there." Ryan got onto his knees and peered into the box Kirsten was looking through, "What's this?"

"It's some of my mom and dad's things from when they lived here years ago."

"Oh. Anything interesting?"

"Nah it's all being thrown out." She replied as she launched three of the boxes through the door of the attic. Ryan pulled a box toward him and pulled out an old movie stub that lay on top of everything else, "An Affair To Remember?"

"What?" Kirsten asked frowning.

"It's old movie ticket dating back to... December 31st 1986! Wow!"

"Oh my god I didn't know we kept that."

"Why would you hold onto an old movie stub? And why oh why were you at the movies at New Years?" Seth asked animatedly. Kirsten took the movie ticket in her hands and ran her fingers over the surface.

* * *

"Sanford! I cannot believe you would do this to your mother!" Sophie Cohen's voice roared through the tiny apartment. "Ma I know your upset but you are NOT going to change my mind about this!" Sophie turned away and busied herself with the dishes that were left in the sink. Sandy sighed loudly, "I don't think Kirsten and I should stay for new years if you're gonna be like this." 

"Suit yourself Sandy but I warned you. Always remember that." Sophie didn't turn around as Sandy picked up both his and Kirsten's cases and headed for the front door. As he pulled the door open he found Kirsten and his brother David making their way toward him. "Hey bro! What's with the bags man? You going somewhere?"

"Yeah mom and I aren't really on good terms right now."

"What happened?" Kirsten asked as she linked her arm in his.

"Nothing for you to worry about honey. So did my brother here take of you on the tour of the old neighbourhood?"

"He did. He showed me where you guys used to play basketball and where your high school used to be. It was great." David opened the door to the apartment, "Listen man. You can crash at my place tonight. I'll probably be too drunk to get home from the party anyway so..." Sandy turned to his girlfriend, "Is that okay with you?" Kirsten nodded smiling and David pressed the keys into Sandy's hand. "Happy new year big brother." He said as he wrapped his arms around Sandy, "Happy new year Dave." David did the same with Kirsten and then they both went to get a cab over to Manhattan where his brother's apartment was.

Kirsten rested her head on Sandy's shoulder and sighed, "So if we're not staying with your mom what do you wanna do tonight? I mean it is New Year."

"How about we do something... simple?" Sandy asked, "I mean we had that enormous dinner at Thanksgiving with your parents and then at Christmas we had to go to that party thing with the... what do you call them?"

"Newpsies." Kirsten replied, "I know what you mean. I guess it must have been a little overwhelming for you. Meeting the family and Jimmy. Okay how simple? You wanna stay in?"

"Hey we could go see a movie. There's a little theatre I know where they show all old movies."

"Sounds good honey."

* * *

"Wrap up warm sweetie looks like it might snow." Sandy yelled from the living room. He was staring out of the window while Kirsten applied her makeup. "Do you really think it'll snow?" Kirsten asked excitedly. 

"Maybe. Why? Haven't you ever seen snow before?"

"Well yeah but... it was always when we went skiing or on Christmas vacation or something but I've never walked down the street and it's just started snowing."

"Aww honey. I guess living in California would do that to you. So what do you wanna see? I looked in the newspaper and they're showing, "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." Uh maybe not. "Casablanca." So cliché so I was thinking "An Affair To Remember?"

"Aww I love that movie. They're gonna meet at the top of the Empire State building and then she gets run over or something is that right?"

"Something along those lines. Up for it?"

"Sure." Kirsten said as Sandy helped her pull on her long black coat. They walked hand in hand to the theatre. Just as they went through the doors a few snowflakes fell to the ground.

* * *

"Oh honey that was so romantic." Kirsten said as they came out of the theatre. They stopped and saw that the ground had a thin layer of frost on the surface, "What did I tell you? It's gonna snow." 

"We have an hour till midnight. Do you wanna go home or...?"

"Lets just walk for a while." Sandy took Kirsten's hand and led her down the road toward Central Park. They found an empty bench and they sat there for a few minutes not saying anything. Kirsten was the first to speak, "Does your mom hate me?"

"What? No! Of course not why would you think that?"

"Isn't that why you aren't talking to her?"

"How did you know?"

"I don't know. Women's intuition I guess."

"Don't let her get to you. She's just annoyed with me for running off to Berkeley and actually finding happiness."

"You found happiness at Berkeley?"

"Well I found my source of happiness there," Sandy said smiling, "Do you know that you're the most important person in the world to me? I mean it. I love you so much," he checked his watch. 11.55 pm. Five minutes till midnight. Kirsten got up off the bench, "Wow it's snowing you were right!" She looked up and the snow fell softly to the ground. Sandy stood next to her, "Can you hear music?" Kirsten frowned and listened carefully, "Faintly. In the distance." Sandy took his girlfriend and spun her in the spot. She wrapped her arms around his neck laughing and he placed his hands on her waist. They swayed softly to the music and Kirsten rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head, "Kirsten?" he asked gently, "Will you marry me?" Kirsten's head shot up and she looked startled into his eyes as the fireworks signalling the start of the New Year went off in the background, "Oh my god! Yes! Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" Sandy reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it slowly and Kirsten almost screamed when she saw the platinum gold band and princess cut diamond, "Sandy it's beautiful! Oh I love you so much." Sandy slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her gently on the lips, "You have no idea how happy I am," he laughed, "Happy New Year bride to be."

* * *

"Seth threw out another box from the attic and Kirsten slipped the ticket stub into her pocket along with her mother's wedding ring, "That was a cute story." Ryan said smiling. Kirsten nodded, "Yeah he'd told his mom earlier that day and she wasn't exactly pleased. That's why they were fighting." She turned back to the pile "Okay what's next?" Seth asked. Kirsten turned to the pile of boxes which was looking significantly smaller compared to when she began. 

**Love it? Hate it? Let me know by leaving a review**


	6. Siblings

**It's been a while since I updated I know and I'm sorry but here you go. I think maybe one more chapter after this but we'll see. I'll be updating my other unfinished fics asap too. Sorry about the wait.**

Chapter 6

"Hey mom's old photo albums... Ryan! Come take a look at this!" Seth called out to Ryan who was still sorting through old newspapers. Ryan dragged himself over to his brother who was waving a thick book in front of his face. "What's this?" Ryan asked unenthusiastically. Seth laughed, "This is our source of revenge if The Kirsten ever reaps war on us." He laughed again and pointed to something in the book. Ryan looked down and saw that it was a picture of Sandy and Kirsten in college. Sandy had Kirsten swept up in his arms. Kirsten's platinum blonde hair was streaked with electric pink and he swore he could see the hint of a belly button ring peeking out under her top. Sandy's hair was longer and alot more shaggy than now. He had a cigarette poking out of the corner of his mouth and he wore a silly grin on his face. They were both wearing matching Berkeley sweatshirts except Kirsten's was about six sizes too big for her. Just then Kirsten returned from the bathroom and snuck up on the boys without them noticing. When she saw what they were looking at she laughed loudly, "I haven't seen that thing in years!" Both Seth and Ryan spun around at the sound of her voice and she took the photo album from Seth and started flicking through it. Ryan looked over her shoulder and saw that most of the pictures were of her and Sandy. "Kirsten?" Ryan asked, "What's with the pink hair?" Kirsten smiled embarrassed, "Uh... well I was going through a... rebellious stage. I had my navel pierced too."

"Wow mom thanks for the visual." Seth said while scrunching his face up. Ryan turned back to the photo album and saw that Kirsten stopped on a picture of her and Hailey. They were both smiling sweetly into the camera. "Did you and Hailey get on as kids?" Ryan asked curiously.

"Oh God no! We hated each other! I mean we were eight years apart and had totally different interests. Whereas she loved My Little Pony, I was more interested in going out and partying with my friends. She would always tell on me if I snuck out late or got home at three in the morning." Ryan smiled knowing that's how he would've pictured it.

* * *

"Hailey will you just get the hell out of my room!"

"But I WANNA PLAY!"

"Tough! I have homework to do so GET OUT! MOM! DAD! TELL HER TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kirsten tried to push her little sister out of her room but Hailey placed her feet on either side of the doorframe and pushed back, "Kiki stop it you're hurting me!"

"What did I say about calling me that? Now GET OUT!" Kirsten managed to get her out into the hall long enough for her to slam and lock the door. She turned up the volume on her Sex Pistols album. She couldn't hear the banging on her door until, "Pretty Vacant," ended and the intro to, "New York," began. She paused her song and swung her door open, "What. Is. It. HAILEY!" she stopped and realised that it was her father staring down at her with a stern expression, "Kirsten." He said solemnly. She knew she was in trouble as he'd used her full name, "Your sister tells me you just pushed her out of your room."

"I told her like a million times to get out."

"That's no way to treat your baby sister Kiki."

"Baby? She's nine years old!"

"You should love each other. Why can't you two just be nice to each other?" Kirsten opened her mouth to answer but Hailey appeared behind her father making silly faces. "Daddy she's making faces at me!" Caleb spun around and found his daughter staring blankly at Kirsten, "She's lying, daddy. I'm just standing here," she lied. When he turned back she resumed pulling faces at her sister. Kirsten began to do the same. Whenever Caleb turned his back she stick her tongue out and cross her eyes. Caleb, oblivious to this charade, continued to rant about how sisters should love each other and treat each other with respect but neither Hailey nor Kirsten were listening. Hailey stamped her foot on the ground, "Daddy she's making faces at me!" Caleb turned around and found Kirsten with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth and her eyes rolled back in her head. When she noticed her father looking at her she turned to her sister who was laughing in the corner, "YOU LITTLE WITCH! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Kirsten lunged for her sister who covered her face with her hands Kirsten grabbed a handful of hair and dragged Hailey around in a circle. Hailey managed to do the same with Kirsten and they both spun comically round and round. "LET GO HAILEY!"

"YOU FIRST KIKI!"

"DON'T CALL ME KIKI! HOW MANY TIMES... AHH!" Hailey kicked out and her foot connected with Kirsten's shin. Kirsten let go of her hair and wrestled her to the ground. She was sitting on her chest pinching her ear in one hand, "Say you're sorry!" Hailey shook her head and Caleb continued to try to break the girls up. Just then Jimmy came up the stairs and headed straight for Kirsten, "Let her go Kirsten she's only a little girl."

"Not until she apologises." Kirsten demanded but Jimmy managed to pull Kirsten off of her sister but he was having a hard time keeping her at bay. He had his arms wrapped firmly around her waist and she was kicking to get to Hailey who was also being restrained by her father. "Hailey I am so gonna get you for that!" Jimmy pulled Kirsten into her room and locked the door behind him, "What the hell was that?"

"Just her being a little bitch." She answered her face still flushed. Jimmy pulled her toward him and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Well I have something that's gonna make you happy."

"What?" she asked looking up at him.

"Party at Taryn's beach house. Tonight and everybody's going."

"I don't know Jimmy. The last time I went to her party I was grounded for a month."

"She's your best friend Kirsten. It's like best friend law that you have to go."

"Why don't I know about this if I'm her best friend?"

"Because she just decided now hurry up and choose an outfit. Or else we'll be here all night." Jimmy laughed and Kirsten punched him playfully on the arm. He punched her back and they ended up lying on the bed in a fit of laughter.

* * *

Kirsten was about to climb out of the window just as she heard a noise coming from Hailey's room. She crept slowly to her room door and peered in. She saw her sitting on the edge of her bed crying softly, "Hail. What's wrong?" Hailey looked up suddenly and tried to wipe away the tears, "Nothing," she said stubbornly.

"Tell me." Kirsten pressed, "Is it school? Friends? Boyfriends?"

"Eww no! I'm just... you hate me!" Hailey said as she broke into tears again.

"What? Of course I don't Hailey I love you."

"But you're always so mean to me."

"You're my sister. It's like the law that I have to be mean to you." Kirsten said smiling and pulling her sister into a hug.

"So you don't hate me?"

"Do you hate me?" Kirsten asked frowning.

"No."

"Well there you go. You're just as mean to me and you don't hate me. Now go dry your eyes, your girlfriends are coming over soon." Hailey smiled at her sister and got up and went into her bathroom. Kirsten got up from the bed and went back into her room. She locked the door behind her and began to climb out the window onto the porch roof. She pulled off her shoes and jumped from the porch roof to the ground. When she landed safely she put her shoes back on and snuck down the dive to where Jimmy was waiting for her, "What took you so long?"

"I had to deal with something. Now go before my parents see."

* * *

Kirsten slid her key into the lock carefully and pushed the door open slowly. She took off her shoes so as not to make a noise and she closed and locked the door behind her as quietly as she could. She stumbled slightly but she caught her balance before she fell over. Her head spun and she could barely see straight. Maybe those tequila shots were a bad idea. Her stomach lurched suddenly and she thought she was going to throw up but she managed to hold it down. "For now anyway," she thought. How much vodka did I have? When she reached the stairs they looked never ending. She already had a headache coming on. She took the first step and steadied herself on the banister. She got onto all fours and crawled up the stairs. She decided she felt less sick that way. When she finally reached her room she remembered she had locked the door. Where was the key? She searched through her bag but she couldn't see properly in the dark. Just then she felt someone take the bag from her, "Shhhhh. You're being too loud." It was Hailey. She found the key and unlocked the door. She took Kirsten's hand and guided her to her bed. She pulled off her jacket and took the shoes out of her hand. "Do you need help with your pyjamas?" she whispered in attempt to stay as quiet as possible. Kirsten smiled at he sister, "No. Thanks Hailey."

"It's okay Kiki."

* * *

Seth lay sprawled in the middle of the attic floor, "One box left! I've never been more happy," he said exasperated. Kirsten swatted his leg to move I'm out of the way and she lay down next to him, "I am so tired." She yawned. Ryan sat leaning against a beam with his eyes closed, "So just one more box and we're done?"

**Please Review.**


	7. The History Of Captain Oats

**Okay so it's a long time coming but I finally updated! I'm making my way through al my unfinished fics just now so bear with me. So this is the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed and please leave a final review.**

Chapter 7

Kirsten studied the room again finally satisfied that it was tidy. She followed the boys out of the attic after switching off the light. "Okay guys, you gotta help me with all these boxes." Kirsten saw Seth visibly droop. He turned around slowly.

"What's in the boxes?" he asked.

"Crap." Kirsten replied smiling. Seth frowned.

"Heavy crap?" he enquired as he watched Ryan pile two boxes on top of one another and carry them down the hall with ease. Kirsten shook her head and lifted a large box that she knew was only full of paper and rubbish. Seth bent down and lifted a box and followed his mother down the hall.

"MOTHER!" Kirsten and Ryan both spun around at the same time.

"What? What did I do?" she asked panicked.

"How can you throw this out?" Seth asked in a high-pitched voice. He was opening the box Kirsten held in her hands and pulling out a smaller brown box with clear plastic on the front. There was a sign on the front saying, "Captain Oats' Stable." Kirsten frowned.

"Because you don't need it. You never use it and if you started to use it I'd be worried."

"But…" Seth began but was silenced by Ryan.

"Seth. What are you gonna do with it?" he asked. Seth frowned.

"It has sentimental value." He reasoned. Kirsten raised her eyebrows and continued to walk down the hall leaving Seth with his stable.

* * *

"Mommy!" Seth yelled at the top of his voice.

"What?" his mother replied. Kirsten followed the sound of her son's voice and found him standing at the front door facing Julie Cooper. "Hey Julie." Kirsten said unenthusiastically.

"Hey Kirsten." She replied as she placed a kiss on each cheek. "And how are you Seth? Looking forward to turning six?" Seth frowned but nodded politely his dark curls falling over his eyes. Kirsten absentmindedly ran her hands through her son's hair.

"So Julie. What's up?"

"Just checking in. Thought we could have lunch. You know catch up?"

"I can't. I have work to do. Presentations, model homes… it's endless. Plus I have Seth."

"And I have Marissa. Look you could take a break. We could even eat here. You have a maid yes?"

"Uh yeah but Julie I really can't."

Ten minutes later Kirsten and Julie sat propped on kitchen stools crunching on a garden salad. Seth sat in the den with a bowl of chips. He held a glass of orange juice in his left hand. He turned to his right and saw Marissa shovelling chips into her mouth. "So what do you wanna do?" she asked through a large mouthful. Seth shrugged his shoulders and concentrated on the blank television screen. He hadn't been alone with Marissa much. Only when both of their mom's were talking. He never really understood her. She would always wear pretty dresses and have her hair tied in bows but she would play in the mud and climb trees.

"Come on. What do you usually do?" She pressed. She remembered when he had first moved in. It was over a year ago and he always kept himself to himself. She had asked him to play once but before he could answer her mother had told her to come in and grounded her for ruining her new dress in the mud. She barely saw him after that.

When she heard that his grandmother died she and her parents had visited to show their condolences. Her father had been close with Seth's mom so he was looking after her while Sandy kept her mother entertained. She saw Seth sitting at the far end of the room with his legs crossed. He was staring down at something gold and shiny in his hands. When she got nearer she saw that it was a plastic Sheriff's badge. "What's that?" he asked.

"Grandma gave it to me. I'm gonna be a cowboy when I grow up."

"Really. Cool. Seth I'm really sorry about your grandma."

"Thanks." He replied quietly. Marissa crouched down next to him.

"When my Nana died. Mommy told me that she went somewhere she would always be happy. That she went somewhere she could always see us and look down on us. Like she's always there." Seth didn't respond. He ran his fingers over the sheriff badge and sighed.

"My mommy told me that too. Except she said that grandma would always look after me because she was my guardian angel." Marissa smiled at that thought.

"I like that." She said and continued to smile. Seth saw her grinning at him and he couldn't help but smirk despite himself.

Marissa snapped out of her daydream and listened to Seth rhyme of a list of activities all of which involved superheroes. He was waving his arms around animatedly as he talked about his favourite video game.

"Do you still wanna be a cowboy?" she asked interrupting his demonstration. Seth stopped and lowered his arms. He was surprised that she remembered. He nodded mutely. "So do you wanna play cowboys and Indians?" she asked brightly. Seth broke out into a large grin. He nodded again.

"I never get to play that game because… well no one will play it with me. Except my dad but… you know." He said blushing.

"Yeah. I know what you mean. My mom tries to play dolls with me all the time." Marissa jumped off the couch and headed for a vase full of decorative feathers. She pulled one out and placed it in her hair. "I'll be the Indian."

Three days later Seth blew out the candles. He was six whole candles now. His mother, father and grandfather all beamed down at him and he closed his eyes and wished. Just as he opened his eyes the doorbell rang. Seth jumped from his chair, "Can I get it?" he asked. Kirsten nodded but followed her son into the hall and watched him pull open the heavy door. Once again he found Julie Cooper staring down at him. When Julie saw Seth she bent down and kissed him on the cheek, "Happy Birthday Seth." Kirsten watched as Seth blushed and thanked her politely. Behind Julie there was Jimmy and Marissa hand in hand. Jimmy bend down and scooped Seth into his arms and sat him on his shoulders. "So little Seth how old are ya now? Huh twenty-one, twenty-two?"

"No I'm six!" Seth squealed happily as they made their way into the kitchen. Kirsten saw Marissa carrying a large package. Jimmy sat Seth up on the counter and lifted Marissa until she was level with him. Marissa copied her mother and kissed him on the cheek.

"Happy Birthday Seth." She held out the gift to him and he stared wide-eyed. But took the package from her. He pulled the wrapping paper off and found a brown box with clear plastic on the front. Through the plastic he saw a toy horse and the box said, "Captain Oats' Stable." Marissa smiled.

"You can't be a cowboy without a horse."

* * *

Seth stood looked up and saw that his mother and Ryan were gone. He made his way into his room and folded the box neatly. He hid the box under his bed hoping no one would find it. He couldn't bring himself to throw it away. It was the first good thing Marissa, one of his best friends, had done for him.

"SETH! BRING DOWN THE LAST TWO BOXES!" his mother's voice drifted up the stairs. "Okay mom." He answered loudly before making his way downstairs to join his family.

**Okay I hope you're happy with how it ended. I decided to do this last chapter about Seth as I was running out of ideas for Kirsten so I hope you liked it and please review.**


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